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Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2)
PoE 2 0.3 Witch Leveling Build - Drain Contagion
☆ The Last of the Druid on December 12!
┗ Fate of the Vaal | Druid Class | Free Weekend
★ League: Rise of the Abyssal ▶︎ The Third Edict
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★ Classes | Best Classes | Best Builds
┗ Check out the new Abyssal Lich ascendancy!
This is a leveling build for the Witch in Path of Exile's (PoE2)'s Third Edict Update that focuses on Essence Drain, Contagion and Ravenous swarm to deal continuous chaos damage. Check out this leveling build for the Witch, which contains all the necessary skills, equipment, and playstyle to progress through the campaign.
 Attention! |
The build is updated for Act 3 of Patch 0.3.0: The Third Edict. Sign in and select  under the page's title to be notified of any updates! |
|---|
List of Contents
Drain Contagion Witch Build Summary
Leveling Build Overview
| Build Setup | |
|---|---|
 Essence Drain Contagion Witch |
 Frost Bomb Creates a pulsing Orb of Frost. Each pulse inflicts Cold Exposure on nearby Enemies. When the Orb's duration ends, it explodes, dealing Cold damage to surrounding Enemies.
 Contagion Afflicts a single enemy with a Debuff that deals Chaos Damage over time. If the enemy dies while affected by contagion, it and all other Chaos Damage over time Debuffs spread to other enemies and refresh their durations. Reanimating or detonating a corpse affected by contagion will cause the Minion or explosion to spread Contagion on hit.
 Unearth Raises spikes of bone from the earth in front of you. The bones of Corpses in the area are ripped out and reassembled into short-lived Bone Construct Minions that fight for you.
 Essence Drain Fires a Projectile that applies a powerful Chaos damage over time debuff to enemy hits.
 Despair Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Chaos Resistance.
 Dark Effigy Raises a Totem that bombards enemies afflicted by Chaos damage over time Debuffs.
 Blasphemy Turns socketed Curse skills into vile Auras, applying their effects to all nearby enemies.
 Withering Presence While active, periodically Withers enemies in your Presence.
 Ravenous Swarm While active and enemies are present, swarms of insects emerge from your body to pursue nearby enemies. The Swarms are untargetable Minions that Attack and Poison enemies.
|
 Strong against mobsBeginner-FriendlyHigh DPS Vulnerable Without MinionsLow Mobility |
|
This Witch leveling build focuses on dealing damage over time through chaos damage, utilizing Essence Drain to hit enemies, and using contagion to spread it to the rest of the pack when the lowest health mob dies.
For survivability, we will be relying on our minions to absorb damage and lead the way while we cast spells from the backline.
| Date | Changes Made |
|---|---|
| 08/30/25 | ・ Essence Drain Contagion Witch Build Created. |
| 08/31/25 | Updated for Act II. ・Withering Presence Added ・Adjusted Equipment ・Adjusted Skills and Support Gems ・Adjustment to Passive Tree ・Added Build Faqs Section |
| 09/1/25 | Updated for Act III. ・Blasphemy and Despair Added ・Adjusted Equipment ・Added Support Gems ・Adjustments to Passive Tree ・Updated Skill Rotations |
Build FAQs
| Build Notes |
|---|
Choose Sceptre over Focus
Although choosing a Focus over a Sceptre can increase your overall DPS in the long run, the damage provided by leveling up your skill gems and passives is sufficient for the leveling process.
Realistically, it can be quite difficult to roll gear with the right defensive affixes as well as additional spirit. Using a scepter as an off-hand weapon fulfills our spirit needs and eliminates the burden of having to reroll gear during the leveling process.
Ravenous Swarm Is Not Functioning Properly
The Ravenous Swarm ability is triggered when an opponent is within four meters, which is the same default base radius as your auras. In order for the insects from Ravenous Swarm to attack and for your enemy to be affected by your auras, such as Withering Presence, you'll need to be within range.
However, dodging takes precedence over everything, so don't hesitate to move out of range to avoid an attack. Then, re-engage when it's safe to get within your opponent's range.
Drain Contagion Witch Equipment
※ The affixes shown below are arranged based on descending priority.
| Gear | Affixes |
|---|---|
 Withered Wand Withered Wand Stats:
Requirements: Intelligence - 25 |
・+ Level of all Spell Skills ・+ Increased Spell Damage ・+ Increased Chaos Damage |
 Rattling Scepter Rattling Scepter Stats:
Spirit - 100 Requirements: Intelligence - 13 |
・+ Spirit
・Minions have X% increased Maximum Life |
 Wicker Tiara Wicker Tiara Stats:
Energy Shield - 28 Requirements: Level - 10 Intelligence - 20 |
・Maximum Energy Shield
・Elemental Resistance |
 River Raiment River Raiment Stats:
Energy Shield - 112 Requirements: Level - 54 Intelligence - 113 |
・Maximum Energy Shield
・Elemental Resistance ・+ Spirit ・Maximum Life |
 Jewelled Gloves Jewelled Gloves Stats:
Energy Shield - 22 Requirements: Level - 26 Intelligence - 43 |
・+ Maximum Energy Shield
・+ Increased Energy Shield ・+ Elemental Resistance |
 Lattice Sandals Lattice Sandals Stats:
Energy Shield - 29 Requirements: Level - 16 Intelligence - 29 |
・Increased Movement Speed
・Elemental Resistance ・Maximum Life ・ Intelligence |
 Linen Belt Linen Belt Requirements:
None Implicit:20-30% increased Mana Recovery from Flasks |
・Increased Flask Mana Recovery rate
・Elemental Resistance |
 Solar Amulet Solar Amulet Requirements:
Level - 30 Implicit:+10-15 to Spirit |
・+ Spirit
・Maximum Energy Shield ・increased Energy Shield ・increased Spell Damage |
 Sapphire Ring Sapphire Ring Requirements:
Level - 12 Implicit:+20-30% to Cold Resistance |
・Cold Resistance
・Increased Chaos Damage |
 Topaz Ring Topaz Ring Requirements:
Level - 16 Implicit:+20-30% to Lightning Resistance |
・Lightning Resistance
・Increased Chaos Damage |
 Colossal Life Flask Colossal Life Flask Stats:
Flask Type - Life Recovered Life - 450 Charge Per Use - 10 Total Charges - 75 Duration - 4 sec. |
・Gains # Charges per Second |
 Colossal Mana Flask Colossal Mana Flask Stats:
Flask Type - Mana Recovered Mana - 165 Charge Per Use - 10 Total Charges - 75 Duration - 2.5 sec. |
・Gains # Charges per Second |
Weapons
Your Wand is the primary source of damage, so increasing spell levels should be your priority, followed by the other affixes. It is important to regularly check the shop to ensure that your gear scales linearly with your content progression.
At this time, we have decided to transition away from the use of the Focus in our offhand, opting instead for the use of a Sceptre. In the early stages of the game, having minions to absorb damage can be highly advantageous. It enables you to disengage from combat safely and easily, avoiding majority of the game's enemies.
To include Blasphemy into the build, we will require the spirit from the sceptre to enable it. This ensures smoother campaign progression in the event that increased cast speed rolls are not obtained on our wand.
List of Weapons
Armor and Accessories
Prioritize acquiring the necessary elemental resistances and strive to reach the resistance cap as soon as possible, while also prioritizing the gain of energy shields. While extra spirit is desirable, it is not mandatory, as it will be used for additional Skeletal Warriors for tanking, rather than for damage.
Grab the Sapphire rings for cold resistance, which are necessary for dealing with the Act I boss, Count Geonor. However, if you have sufficient survivability, you may consider alternative options, such as the Gold ring, if it offers better affixes.
| List of Rings | List of Amulets |
| List of Armors | |
Belts and Charms
 Sapphire Charm |
・Increased Duration
・Increased Charges ・Gain Charges Per Second |
|---|---|
 Topaz Charm |
・Increased Duration
・Increased Charges ・Gain Charges Per Second |
 Antidote Charm |
・Increased Duration
・Increased Charges ・Gain Charges Per Second |
This build isn't mana-intensive, but the Linen Belt is useful due to its increased mana gain. This allows you to move from one pack to the next seamlessly, thanks to the increased mana sustain.
The Sapphire Charm is used to enhance survivability against the boss of Act I, Count Geonor and the Topaz Charm is used against Jamanra, the Risen King, the final boss of Act II. They inflict high elemental damage, and their high health pool can result in prolonged fights. Therefore, having enhanced survivability during these encounters is advantageous.
In Act III, a confrontation with Viper Napuatzi will occur midway through, and she possesses the ability to inflict poison. This can be quite challenging to manage since it circumvents energy shields, and the availability of chaos resistance from gear may be limited. To that end, we will be taking the Antidote Charm to counteract the effects of poison in case that we are afflicted.
| List of Belts | List of Charms |
Runes and Soul Cores
| Equipment | Sockets |
|---|---|
| Weapon | |
| Armor |
The runes that you will be socketing on your armor pieces will depend on what your current elemental resistances are, and so they will be used to supplement the element that you are lacking in. If you have reached the 75% cap on resistances, then you can socket Iron Runes instead.
The Ox Talisman is used on your Scepter if it has a socket, but this is not mandatory. It will only be used to increase the survivability of your minions.
| List of Runes | List of Soul Cores |
Drain Contagion Witch Skills
※ The Support Gems' priority are arranged in a descending order. The first one being the most important and the last being the least crucial.
| Skill | Support Gems |
|---|---|
|
Essence Drain Essence Drain Fires a Projectile that applies a powerful Chaos damage over time debuff to enemy hits.
|
 Chain I Chain I Supports Projectile skills and any other skills that Chain, causing them to Chain additional times.
 Poison I Poison I Supports any skill that hits enemies, giving it a chance to Poison enemies.
 Swift Affliction I Swift Affliction I Supports any skill that deals damage, causing it to deal more damage over time but have a shorter duration.
 Rapid Casting I Rapid Casting I Supports spells, causing them to cast faster
|
|
Contagion Contagion Afflicts a single enemy with a Debuff that deals Chaos Damage over time. If the enemy dies while affected by contagion, it and all other Chaos Damage over time Debuffs spread to other enemies and refresh their durations. Reanimating or detonating a corpse affected by contagion will cause the Minion or explosion to spread Contagion on hit.
|
Swift Affliction I Swift Affliction I Supports any skill that deals damage, causing it to deal more damage over time but have a shorter duration.
 Magnified Area I Magnified Area I Supports any skill with an area of effect, making it larger.
|
|
Skeletal Warrior Skeletal Warrior Summons reviving Skeletal Warriors.
|
 Meat Shield I Meat Shield I Supports skills which create Minions, granting them less damage taken but making them deal less damage. Cannot support skills which create undamageable Minions.
 Last Gasp Last Gasp Support skills that create Persistent Minions, causing those Minions to fight on for a short duration before dying when they are fatally wounded.
|
|
Unearth Unearth Raises spikes of bone from the earth in front of you. The bones of Corpses in the area are ripped out and reassembled into short-lived Bone Construct Minions that fight for you.
|
 Prolonged Duration I Prolonged Duration I Supports any skill that has a duration, making that duration longer.
|
|
Withering Presence Withering Presence While active, periodically Withers enemies in your Presence.
|
Prolonged Duration I Prolonged Duration I Supports any skill that has a duration, making that duration longer.
|
|
Blasphemy Blasphemy Turns socketed Curse skills into vile Auras, applying their effects to all nearby enemies.
|
 Heightened Curse Heightened Curse Supports curse skills, magnifying their power.
Despair Despair Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Chaos Resistance.
|
|
Dark Effigy Dark Effigy Raises a Totem that bombards enemies afflicted by Chaos damage over time Debuffs.
|
 Urgent Totems I Urgent Totems I Supports skills which place Totems, causing those skills to place Totems much more quickly.
 Overabundance I Overabundance I Supports skills which can have a Limited number of effects active at once, increasing that Limit at the cost of their duration. Only applies to restrictions that use the word “Limit”.
|
|
Frost Bomb Frost Bomb Creates a pulsing Orb of Frost. Each pulse inflicts Cold Exposure on nearby Enemies. When the Orb's duration ends, it explodes, dealing Cold damage to surrounding Enemies.
|
- |
|
Ravenous Swarm Ravenous Swarm While active and enemies are present, swarms of insects emerge from your body to pursue nearby enemies. The Swarms are untargetable Minions that Attack and Poison enemies.
|
Poison I Poison I Supports any skill that hits enemies, giving it a chance to Poison enemies.
|
This skill build focuses on dealing Damage over time through Essence Drain and Contagion, while trying to inflict Poison debuff. In the early stages of the game, when support gem sockets are limited, you can alternate between Chain I for mobbing and Rapid Casting for bosses.
Contagion allows us to plow through mobs easily, through repeated activations when one enemy dies, starting a chain effect until all of them are dead. As such, we will try to inflict the poison debuff via repeated Essence Drain casting and Ravenous Swarm, before that mob dies.
We will be allocating our spirit primarily to Ravenous Swarm as well as Withering Presence, and using the leftover spirit for additional Skeletal Warriors. Unearth will be used exclusively to add additional minions for a limited duration, thereby enhancing survivability before advancing to the subsequent pack.
In Act III, we will socket the Blasphemy skill gem into the Despair skill, transforming it into an Aura. This feature allows us to deploy the Despair curse without the need for manual casting, though it does incur an additional spirit cost. Blasphemy ensures the consistent application of the curse across enemies within range, whic allows us to cast Dark Effigy more quickly after applying our other curses.
Since we will be relying on energy shields for both offense and defense, we will be taking energy shield nodes such as Patient Barrier, Melding, and Essence Infusion for higher energy shield reserves and faster energy shield recharge.
Drain Contagion Witch Passive Tree
Passive Tree Progression
Our primary objective in this build is to enhance spell and chaos damage to optimize our damage output. To that end, we will be focusing on passives that increase spell and chaos damage, such as Lingering Horror and Entropy.
You would naturally pump Intelligence as your main stat to satisfy the skill gem requirements. However, don't hesitate to respec some attribute nodes to Dexterity or Strength to fulfill the stat requirements needed to equip gear and support gems. These can easily be interchanged as needed.
Passive Skill Tree Guide and List of Passives
Ascendancy Options
 Lich
|
• Choose Eldritch Empowerment to increases damage done by spells without interrupting shield recharge. |
Since Energy Shields are a natural defensive option for the build, we recommend choosing the Lich Ascendancy and obtaining the Eldritch Empowerment Ascendancy node to increase your damage output.
Depending on the equipment, you have the option of using Crystalline Phylactery if you have obtained a jewel with bonuses that are relevant to your build, or Soulless Form if your equipment includes some life rolls. You can successfully complete Act III without the two additional ascension points, so you can opt to complete the first Chaos Trial at a later time.
You have the option to transition to a different Ascendancy at a later stage of the game if you wish to switch to a different build once you reach the endgame.
Build Progression
| Jump to an Act! | ||
|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | Act 2 | Act 3 |
Act 1 Progression
To progress through Act 1 and beat Count Geonor using the Essence Drain Contagion Witch leveling build, follow these steps:
| # | Steps |
|---|---|
| 1 | After beating the
 The Bloated Miller
, talk to Renly and equip the
Unearth
Gem. |
| 2 | Head for the Mysterious Campsite at Clearfell to get an extra Level 1
 Uncut Skill Gem
.
|
| 3 | |
| 4 | Defeat
 Beira of the Rotten Pack
to obtain
 Head of the Winter Wolf
for the Cold Resistance to in preparation for the Count Geonor boss fight.
|
| 5 | Find and defeat
to level up your
Contagion
and get the
Magnified Area I
Support Gem.Note: Make sure to loot the Witch Hut to get Medium Flasks. |
| 6 | Defeat
 The Brambleghast
to get a Level 2 Uncut Skill Gem and use it to get
Essence Drain
.
|
| 7 | Progress to The Grim Tangle and defeat
 The Rotten Druid
to obtain another Level 1 Uncut Support Gem and slot in
Swift Affliction I
to Essence Drain.
|
| 8 | Look for the Haunted Treasure Inside the Tomb of the Consort and defeat the rare enemy to acquire a Level 1 Uncut Support Gem and slot in
to Essence Drain.
|
| 9 | Defeat
 The Crowbell
to get a
 Book of Specialisation
for free passive points.
|
| 10 | Search and complete your first Ritual in the same area to get a Level 4 Uncut Skill Gem and use this to upgrade your Essence Drain.
|
| 11 | Start looking for the Dryadic Ritual in the same area to get an extra Level 1 Uncut Support Gem (to be used later).
|
| 12 | Defeat the
 The King in the Mists
to get +30 Spirit and a Level 4
 Uncut Spirit Gem
. Use this to equip
Ravenous Swarm
. Spirit Gem, then slot in
Poison I
from the Support Gem you got earlier.
|
| 13 | Complete The Lost Lute at the Ogham Farmlands to obtain a Book of Specialisation for more passive points.
|
| 14 | Search for the Crop Circle in the same area to defeat
and obtain a Level 4 Uncut Skill Gem and use it to upgrade Contagion.
|
| 15 | Proceed to Ogham Village and defeat
 The Executioner
to free Leitis and acquire a Level 5 Uncut Skill Gem and upgrade your
Essence Drain
. |
| 16 | As soon as you get another Lv.4 Uncut Skill Gem, upgrade
Contagion
. If you have extra Support Gems, slot in Prolonged Duration on
Unearth
first, then
Chain I
on
Essence Drain
later. |
| 17 | Search and defeat the
 Candlemass, the Living Rite
at Ogham Manor to get the
 Candlemass' Essence
for the free +20 Maximum Life.
|
| 18 | Continue and defeat
 Count Geonor
to complete Act 1.Note: Make sure you have Medium Flasks since this boss fight has 2 Phases so you will be spending a good amount of time learning and surviving the mechanics. |
Act 2 Progression
To progress through Act 2 and beat Jamanra, the Abomination using the Essence Drain Contagion Witch leveling build, follow these steps:
| # | Steps |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | Defeat
 Balbala, The Traitor
to gain access to The Trial of Sekhemas.Ascendancy: You can attempt to finish the Sekhema's Trial to get your first two Ascendancy Skills. |
| 3 | Clear Mobs in Keth until you get the
 Kabala Clan Relic
(To be used later).
|
| 4 | Defeat
 Kabala, Constrictor Queen
to get a
Book of Specialisation
for more passive points.
|
| 5 | Defeat
in the Galleria for a random Jewel. Note: Make sure to slot in this Jewel in your passive tree as you progress. |
| 6 | Open the Guarded Sarcophagus for an
 Uncut Support Gem
Level 2 and slot in
Chain II
on
Essence Drain
.
|
| 7 | Three Elemental Offering Ring choices: Ruby Ring, Sapphire Ring, and Topaz Ring for flame, cold, and lightning resistance respectively. It is recommended to choose the Topaz Ring to prepare for
 Jamanra, the Abomination
.
|
| 8 | Clear The City of Seven Waters for an Uncut Support Gem II.
|
| 9 | Destroy the Effigy located in the Shrine of Bones for an Uncut Support Gem Level 2.
|
| 10 | Clear Mobs in The Bone Pits until you get the
 Sun Clan Relic
(To be used later).
|
| 11 | Complete A Theft of Ivory quest for an Uncut Support Gem Level 2. You can use this for any missing support gems in the build.
|
| 12 | Place both Relics in the Valley of Titans to complete the Ancient Vows quest. Choose the Moon Clan Relic for the 30% Charm Effect Duration.
|
| 13 | Complete A Crown of Stone quest for an Uncut Support Gem Level 2. You can use this for any missing support gems in the build. |
| 14 | Complete the Tradition's Toll quest to get a
Book of Specialisation
.
|
| 15 | Defeat the
for an additional
 Djinn Barya
.
|
Act 3 Progression
To progress through Act 3 and beat Doryani using the Essence Drain Contagion Witch leveling build, follow these steps:
| # | Step by Step Guide to Act 3 Leveling |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 |
Loot the basket found in the Orok Campfire at Sandswept Marsh to get a
 Lesser Jeweller's Orb
.Note: Use this on your Essence Drain and use your extra Uncut Support Gem to slot in . |
| 3 | |
| 4 |
Complete The Slithering Dead to get the
for provide you with +30% Increased Elemental Ailment Threshold. |
| 5 |
Look for the Jungle Grave and interact with the Ravaged Corpse to summon Servi and get a rare Belt. We recommend taking Linen Belt for better mana management. |
| 6 |
Defeat
 Ignagduk, the Bog Witch
for 30 Spirit and an
Uncut Spirit Gem
Level 10. Use this to equip
Blasphemy
and socket
Despair
into it. |
| 7 |
Submit the Tribal Vengeance to get a charm. Choose the Antidote Charm for increased defenses against Poison. |
| 8 |
Defeat
 Blackjaw, the Remnant
to get The Flame Core for +10% Fire Resistance. |
| 9 |
Use the Paquate's Mechanism to Corrupt gear. We suggest corrupting the
Essence Drain
skill gem for a chance of an additional Support Gem slot. |
| 10 |
Obtain an
Uncut Spirit Gem
Level 10 from Treasures of Utzaal. Use this to increase the level of your
Withering Presence
. |
| 11 | |
| 12 |
Ascendancy: By this time, you can complete the Trial of Chaos to get your third and fourth Ascendancy Point.
┗
Lich
: Depending on the current gear that you have, you can take Crystalline Phylactery or Souless Form based on your current gear, but you can skip this step if neither is beneficial to your build. |
| 13 |
Use the
 Sacrificial Heart
that you can pick up in Utzaal to acquire Weapon Set Skill Points. |
Drain Contagion Witch Playstyle
Standard Rotation
This will be your standard rotation for most encounters, with the variation being the number of corpses you can summon with Unearth after each confrontation.
- Get into enemy range so Ravenous Swarm insects can start spawning.
- Cast Essence Drain.
- Cast Contagion on low hp target.
- Cast Frost Bomb on stationary elite targets.
- Cast Dark Effigy if there's a tanky elite.
- Cast Unearth on corpses before proceeding to the next pack.
Bossing Rotation
For bossing, you can opt to pre-cast your Dark Effigy totems in safe spots in the arena, and proceeding as normal.
- Cast Dark Effigy during boss intro animation.
- Get into range as far as possible, but still within Ravenous Swarm Range.
- Cast Essence Drain.
- Cast Contagion.
- Cast Frost Bomb, during phases where boss remains stationary.
- Keep Re-Casting Essence Drain.
- Cast Unearth if the Boss has a mob phase that spawns useable corpses when slain.
- Cast Chaos Bolt if you're out of mana.
Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) Related Guides
Best Builds
| Rank | Build |
|---|---|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
0.3 Leveling Builds
 Slam Fissure Warrior |
 Lightning Arrow Ranger |
 Lightning Shotgun Mercenary |
 Cold Lightning Monk |
Drain Contagion Witch |
 Lightning Spear Huntress |
 Fireball Sorceress |
- | - |
All Build Guides
| List of Builds by Class | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Huntress |
 Mercenary |
 Monk |
|||||||||
 Witch |
 Sorceress |
 Warrior |
|||||||||
 Ranger |
- | - | |||||||||
| Other Build Guides | 0.3 Leveling Builds | How to Make a Good Build | |||||||||
Witch Leveling Builds
| Arsonist Minion Witch
|
 Flame Wall Creates a wall of fire in front of the character, which ignites everything within its area. Any projectiles fired through the wall by you and allies deal added fire damage and inflict ignite on hit.
 Flammability Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Fire Resistance.
 Raging Spirits While active, your Fire Spells will also summon Raging Spirits, which are short-lived flaming skulls that rush at nearby enemies and rapidly Attack them. Enemies will not directly engage these Minions, and can pass through them.
Skeletal Warrior Summons reviving Skeletal Warriors.
 Pain Offering Impales a Skeleton on bone spike to send nearby Minions into a frenzy as long as the spike remains. The bone spike itself is a minion. If it dies, effect ends immediately.
 Skeletal Cleric Summons Reviving Skeletal Clerics that heal other minions and revive fallen Skeletons.
Focus: Minions, Crowd Control, DoT |
| Drain Contagion Witch
UP |
Frost Bomb Creates a pulsing Orb of Frost. Each pulse inflicts Cold Exposure on nearby Enemies. When the Orb's duration ends, it explodes, dealing Cold damage to surrounding Enemies.
Contagion Afflicts a single enemy with a Debuff that deals Chaos Damage over time. If the enemy dies while affected by contagion, it and all other Chaos Damage over time Debuffs spread to other enemies and refresh their durations. Reanimating or detonating a corpse affected by contagion will cause the Minion or explosion to spread Contagion on hit.
Chaos Bolt Fires a burst of chaos energy at the target.
Skeletal Warrior Summons reviving Skeletal Warriors.
Unearth Raises spikes of bone from the earth in front of you. The bones of Corpses in the area are ripped out and reassembled into short-lived Bone Construct Minions that fight for you.
Essence Drain Fires a Projectile that applies a powerful Chaos damage over time debuff to enemy hits.
Despair Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Chaos Resistance.
Dark Effigy Raises a Totem that bombards enemies afflicted by Chaos damage over time Debuffs.
Blasphemy Turns socketed Curse skills into vile Auras, applying their effects to all nearby enemies.
Withering Presence While active, periodically Withers enemies in your Presence.
Ravenous Swarm While active and enemies are present, swarms of insects emerge from your body to pursue nearby enemies. The Swarms are untargetable Minions that Attack and Poison enemies.
Focus: AoE, Chaos, DoT |
Witch Endgame Builds
 Minion Infernalist
|
Flame Wall Creates a wall of fire in front of the character, which ignites everything within its area. Any projectiles fired through the wall by you and allies deal added fire damage and inflict ignite on hit.
Raging Spirits While active, your Fire Spells will also summon Raging Spirits, which are short-lived flaming skulls that rush at nearby enemies and rapidly Attack them. Enemies will not directly engage these Minions, and can pass through them.
 Skeletal Arsonist Activate to summon bomb-throwing, Reviving Skeletal Arsonists taht can detonate other minions on Command.
Pain Offering Impales a Skeleton on bone spike to send nearby Minions into a frenzy as long as the spike remains. The bone spike itself is a minion. If it dies, effect ends immediately.
 Detonate Dead Causes a Corpse to violently explode, damaging surrounding enemies.
 Vulnerability Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, making Hits against them ignore a portion of their Armour.
 Skeletal Brute Summons hard-hitting, Reviving Skeletal Brutes that can Stun Primed enemies.
Skeletal Cleric Summons Reviving Skeletal Clerics that heal other minions and revive fallen Skeletons.
Focus: Minions, Crowd Control, DoT |
 Bonestorm Blood Mage
|
 Bonestorm Channel to conjure a swarm of bone spikes in the air, then release to fire at the enemies and explode. Shrapnel Impales enemies Hit, causing subsequent Attack Hits against those targets to deal Extra Damage. Consumes your Power Charge to cause much larger explosions.
Vulnerability Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, making Hits against them ignore a portion of their Armour.
 Bone Cage Raises a ring of bone spikes around you. The spikes are destroyed when enemies touch them, damaging and Pinning those enemies.
Blasphemy Turns socketed Curse skills into vile Auras, applying their effects to all nearby enemies.
 Life Remnants 25% chance to spawn a Remnant on killing an enemy;Spawn a Remnant on Critically Hitting a target, no more than once every 2 seconds;Each Remnant grants X Life
Focus: High Single Target Damage |
| Demon Form Infernalist
|
 Arctic Armour Conjures an icy barrier that gains stages overtime. While the barrier has stages, Melee Attacks that hit you will remove a stage to cause a burst of ice that deals Cold Spell damage to the attacker.
 Ice Nova A nova of ice expands from you, Knocking Back enemies based on how close they are to you. Casting Ice Nova targeting near a Frostbolt Projectile will cause it to originate from the Frostbolt insead of you, and cause more Freeze buildup.
 Solar Orb Creates a fiery Orb that periodically releases fiery pulses. Enemies that are very close to the Orb are Ignited.
Flammability Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Fire Resistance.
 Flameblast Channels to build destructive energy around you or a targeted Solar Orb. Releasing the energy causes a devastating explosion that is larger and more intense the longer you channelled for.
 Grim Feast Feeds on corpses to bolster your Energy Shield. While active, enemies and Reviving Minions that die in your Presence have a chance to drop Grim Remnants. Picking up a Grim Remnant grants you Energy Shield which can Overflow maximum Energy Shield.
Focus: Fast Clear, AoE |
| Detonate Dead Blood Mage
|
 Frost Wall Creates a Wall of Ice Crystals which holds back enemies. The Crystals explode if sufficiently damaged, orif pushed hard enough, damaging nearby enemies..
Grim Feast Feeds on corpses to bolster your Energy Shield. While active, enemies and Reviving Minions that die in your Presence have a chance to drop Grim Remnants. Picking up a Grim Remnant grants you Energy Shield which can Overflow maximum Energy Shield.
Detonate Dead Causes a Corpse to violently explode, damaging surrounding enemies.
Vulnerability Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, making Hits against them ignore a portion of their Armour.
Skeletal Brute Summons hard-hitting, Reviving Skeletal Brutes that can Stun Primed enemies.
Skeletal Cleric Summons Reviving Skeletal Clerics that heal other minions and revive fallen Skeletons.
 Soul Offering Impales a Skeleton on a bone spike, granting you a powerful Spell Damage Buff as long as the spike remains. Does not affect your minions. The bone spike itself is a Minion. If it dies, the effect ends immediately.
 Sacrifice While active, your undead Reviving Minions can be used in place of Corpses by your skills, but your Minions Revive more slowly.
Focus: High Damage, Fast Clear, Minions |
 Lich Necromancer
|
Flame Wall Creates a wall of fire in front of the character, which ignites everything within its area. Any projectiles fired through the wall by you and allies deal added fire damage and inflict ignite on hit.
Skeletal Warrior Summons reviving Skeletal Warriors.
Skeletal Arsonist Activate to summon bomb-throwing, Reviving Skeletal Arsonists taht can detonate other minions on Command.
 Raise Zombie Consumes a Corpse or Power Charge to create a short-lived zombie. Zombies created from Power Charges are empowered.
Pain Offering Impales a Skeleton on bone spike to send nearby Minions into a frenzy as long as the spike remains. The bone spike itself is a minion. If it dies, effect ends immediately.
Skeletal Cleric Summons Reviving Skeletal Clerics that heal other minions and revive fallen Skeletons.
 Skeletal Frost Mage Summons reviving Skeletal Frost Mages that can be commanded to cast Icy Explosions
 Profane Ritual Marks a Corpse with a profane rune, dealing Chaos damage over time to nearby enemies. When the ritual is complete the corpse is consumed and you gain a power charge.
Despair Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Chaos Resistance.
 Bone Offering Impales a Skeleton on a bone spike to shield your Minions while the spike remains. The shield absorbs all damage from the next hit each Minion takes, then explodes. The bone spike itself is a Minion, and shields itself. If it dies, shields on your other Minions disappear.
Focus: Minion, Chaos, AoE, Curse |
| Cast on Ignite Comet Infernalist
|
Solar Orb Creates a fiery Orb that periodically releases fiery pulses. Enemies that are very close to the Orb are Ignited.
Flammability Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Fire Resistance.
 Comet Calls down a mass of ice from the sky, dealing high damage at the targeted location. Targeting close to you will cause you to jump back as you cast.
Contagion Afflicts a single enemy with a Debuff that deals Chaos Damage over time. If the enemy dies while affected by contagion, it and all other Chaos Damage over time Debuffs spread to other enemies and refresh their durations. Reanimating or detonating a corpse affected by contagion will cause the Minion or explosion to spread Contagion on hit.
 Overwhelming Presence While active, enemies in your Presence are easier to Stun and inflict Elemental Ailments upon.
 Cast on Ignite While active, gains Energy when you Ignite enemies and triggers socketed spells on reaching maximum Energy.
 Alchemist's Boon While active, grants you Flask Charges passively and causes Life and Mana recovery from your Flasks to also apply to Allies in your presence.
 Demon Form (12–25)% increased Cast Speed while in Demon Form;+(3–6) to Level of all Spell Skills while in Demon Form;Lose 0.5% of Life per second per Demonflame;Deal (7–18)% increased Spell damage per Demonflame
Focus: AoE, Mobbing, Freeze, Ignite |
| Dark Effigy Lich
UP |
Contagion Afflicts a single enemy with a Debuff that deals Chaos Damage over time. If the enemy dies while affected by contagion, it and all other Chaos Damage over time Debuffs spread to other enemies and refresh their durations. Reanimating or detonating a corpse affected by contagion will cause the Minion or explosion to spread Contagion on hit.
Essence Drain Fires a Projectile that applies a powerful Chaos damage over time debuff to enemy hits.
Bonestorm Channel to conjure a swarm of bone spikes in the air, then release to fire at the enemies and explode. Shrapnel Impales enemies Hit, causing subsequent Attack Hits against those targets to deal Extra Damage. Consumes your Power Charge to cause much larger explosions.
Despair Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Chaos Resistance.
Dark Effigy Raises a Totem that bombards enemies afflicted by Chaos damage over time Debuffs.
Blasphemy Turns socketed Curse skills into vile Auras, applying their effects to all nearby enemies.
Withering Presence While active, periodically Withers enemies in your Presence.
 Blink Replaces your dodge roll with a short-cooldown Spell that allows you to tunnel through space, instantly reappearing a medium distance away.
 Convalescence While active, grants a skill that you can use to instantly begin Recharging Energy Shield and gain Buff for a duration that prevents Recharge being interrupted. The Buff is removed at maximum Energy Shield and the skill cannot be used while Energy Shield is full.
Focus: Chaos, AoE, Curse, Totem |
| Spark Blood Mage
|
 Spark Launches a spray of sparking projectiles that travel erratically along the ground until they hit an enemy or expire.
 Orb of Storms Creates an Orb of electricity that fires Chaining Lightning bolts at nearby enemies.
Blink Replaces your dodge roll with a short-cooldown Spell that allows you to tunnel through space, instantly reappearing a medium distance away.
 Cast on Critical While active, gains energy when you Critically Hit enemies and triggers socketed spells on reaching maximum energy.
Convalescence While active, grants a skill that you can use to instantly begin Recharging Energy Shield and gain Buff for a duration that prevents Recharge being interrupted. The Buff is removed at maximum Energy Shield and the skill cannot be used while Energy Shield is full.
Life Remnants 25% chance to spawn a Remnant on killing an enemy;Spawn a Remnant on Critically Hitting a target, no more than once every 2 seconds;Each Remnant grants X Life
Focus: Lightning, Critical Hit, Life Leech |
| Demon Warp Infernalist
NEW |
Orb of Storms Creates an Orb of electricity that fires Chaining Lightning bolts at nearby enemies.
 Lightning Warp Teleports you inside the target's body, causing it to violently explode. Highlights enemies that can be culled, and can only be used on these enemies or Ball Lightning projectiles. The target is destroyed, and the explosion deals Lightning Damage to surrounding enemies and creates Shocked Ground.
 Ball Lightning Fires a slow-moving projectile that repeatedly shoots bolts of lightning at nearby enemies.
Blasphemy Turns socketed Curse skills into vile Auras, applying their effects to all nearby enemies.
Cast on Critical While active, gains energy when you Critically Hit enemies and triggers socketed spells on reaching maximum energy.
Convalescence While active, grants a skill that you can use to instantly begin Recharging Energy Shield and gain Buff for a duration that prevents Recharge being interrupted. The Buff is removed at maximum Energy Shield and the skill cannot be used while Energy Shield is full.
Demon Form (12–25)% increased Cast Speed while in Demon Form;+(3–6) to Level of all Spell Skills while in Demon Form;Lose 0.5% of Life per second per Demonflame;Deal (7–18)% increased Spell damage per Demonflame
Focus: Lightning, AoE, Cast on Critical |
| Blackflame Covenant Blood Mage
NEW |
 Ember Fusillade Conjures a blazing Ember that hovers around you. After a short duration, the Ember launches at the enemy, dealing fire damage in an area on impact. Recasting the spess resets the duration for all active Embers. Multiple Embers fired in the same Fusillade will attempt to target different enemies.
 Fireball Launches a large ball of Fire which explodes on impact, creating a nova of smaller firebolts.
Despair Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Chaos Resistance.
Withering Presence While active, periodically Withers enemies in your Presence.
 Time of Need Invokes divine blessings, periodically healing you and removing Curses and Elemental Ailments from you.
Cast on Critical While active, gains energy when you Critically Hit enemies and triggers socketed spells on reaching maximum energy.
Convalescence While active, grants a skill that you can use to instantly begin Recharging Energy Shield and gain Buff for a duration that prevents Recharge being interrupted. The Buff is removed at maximum Energy Shield and the skill cannot be used while Energy Shield is full.
 Siphon Elements While active, has a chance to create an Infusion Remnant when you Freeze, Shock, or Ignite a target.
 Living Bomb Plant a seed of Fire inside an enemy. Dealing enough damage to the enemy, or killing it outright, causes the seed to explode, dealing damage in an area and leaving behind a Fire Infusion Remnant.
Life Remnants 25% chance to spawn a Remnant on killing an enemy;Spawn a Remnant on Critically Hitting a target, no more than once every 2 seconds;Each Remnant grants X Life
Focus: Chaos, Critical, Fire |
Witch Class and Ascendancy Guides
| Base Class | ||
|---|---|---|
| Witch
|
||
| Ascendancies | ||
| Infernalist |
Blood Mage |
Lich |
Comment
Author
PoE 2 0.3 Witch Leveling Build - Drain Contagion
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